Lonely Rose
by InfiniteSnow
Summary: A request from AngelKitty27. It is Valentine's Day, the day when girls make sweets with side effects and stuff them at the boy they like. But wait, what about alice stone exchange? Mikan loathes it, but then, it might be the most exciting thing she might be waiting for. But the question is, who will she give it to? The egoistic fire boy or the quiet ghost boy? [YouichixMikan]


Author's note:

This is a YXM story, as requested by AngelKitty27. It has Youichi the same age as Mikan, and Mikan is a little rational like Hotaru, a little indifferent like Youichi, and un-interested in Natsume, who is hopelessly chasing after Mikan.

So, yeah, I guess it is a bit AU-ish, but they still do have alices, okay? Gakuen Alice is not going to be just some ordinary academy just because I said hints of AU.

And there is a heavy OOC-ness warning, and Mikan doesn't wear her hair and split bangs like she does in the series. She wears her hair down like her mother. They are in elementary school. She has the same Alice Stone shape as Himemiya san (for this story), and if you do not know, I will say, "Go back and read the manga."

Enjoy!

oooooo

"Well, it is Valentine's day," Narumi excitedly clapped his hands together, "So we will be making Alice Stones! You will be working with your partner."

Mikan mentally groaned. Working with your partner? She looked over to the back of the classroom, to see Natusme eyeing her with passion, making Mikan's stomach flip in disgust.

"Ugh," Mikan groaned, "can't believe I have to work with Hyuuga."

"Good luck with that," Hotaru shrugged, as she polished her baka gun.

"Why? You secretly formatting how to give Nogi an alice stone?" Mikan raised an eyebrow.

Hotaru blushed but then aimed her fist at Mikan, "Because you have a brain, I won't hit you with my gun. But don't you go blurting out my little secret, now that you have been smart enough to catch onto me. If you do, I will publish your love for Youichi."

Mikan blushed and said, "You wouldn't dare."

Hotaru smirked, "Try me."

Groaning, she snapped her head to the front to hear a loud whining. It was Sumire Shouda, whining her whole head off on why Mikan got to work with 'Natsume-kun' instead of her.

"Narumi-sensei! Switch me! I want to work with him!" Sumire was at the front of the classroom, creating a Broadway musical at the point.

"Ehh? But Mikan-chan, are you okay with that?" Narumi sensei eyed Mikan.

Mikan's eyes widened and she looked at Sumire and said, "What is the catch?"

"What do you mean by catch?" Sumire eyed her angrily and flipped her perm curls, "I want to work with Natsume-kun. End of the story."

Mikan was so glad, but she kept a cool mask on.

"He is yours," Mikan smirked silently while she saw Sumire's annoyed expression turn into a child's face that received a million toys for Christmas.

"Yay~~~!" She skipped to the back of the room and glomped Natsume, who in turn glared at Mikan.

"Well, Mikan chan, I guess I can re-arrange your partner for making Alice Stones?" Narumi raised an eyebrow at the scene.

"Please do," Mikan snickered at the sight.

"Okay…" Narumi trailed off and looked in his rolebook.

Mikan waited patiently and the entire classroom waited impatiently on whose Mikan's partner will be for the activity.

"How about…Hijiri?" Narumi looked at Mikan.

Her heart stopped, and it took all of her dignity to respond, "Yeah sure whatever."

"Go sit next to him," Narumi sensei motioned Mikan.

"He sits to my right, sensei," Mikan droned.

A huge silence broke out, and Narumi sensei was mentally kicking himself for his stupidity. A few snickers broke out, and a few stifled laughs. Soon, the whole classroom blew into a sea of laughs. Narumi sensei hung his head in shame and once again, motioned Mikan to go back to her seat. Mikan shrugged, and sat right back down.

Looking to her right she whispered, "I guess you're my partner."

Youichi's ears turned pink when the girl he admired acknowledged him. Hotaru, who was shining her gun, had an evil plan up her sleeve. She had to get back at ghost boy for stealing her secret stash of the last pieces of Gulliver's Candy.

_Don't worry, this is a two way deal. I get loads of rabbits, and the publication of the story on school newspaper tells that the two are a couple. Done deal, _Hotaru smirked as she polished her beautiful creation. Beside her, on her left, Ruka gulped. His partner was up to something. When Hotaru eyed him, he knew he was dragged into the plan as well.

Oh the load of rabbits she will get.

oooooo

Mikan and Youichi went to a corner and joined two desks together. Sitting on each desk, Mikan sighed, ignoring the thumping of the heart. Youichi couldn't even believe that Narumi sensei decided to pair them up. He just couldn't breathe when Mikan had looked at him. She was perfect, inside and outside.

_Great, _Youichi thought, _now I owe gay teacher a bag of candies, I guess._

"I guess we have to try our very best to make our stones. Lots of feelings," Mikan sighed, "I guess."

_I will be putting my feelings for you, _Mikan and Youichi thought at the same time as they clasped their hands together, and tried their best to make a decent-sized stone.

Mikan closed her eyes, and thought of her past memories. Her mom. Her dad. Kaoru-san. Her friend Hotaru, and how they met. All the nice friends she made at Gakuen Alice, and how much she loves Narumi sensei as an uncle, and the HSP as her father. She thought of how she loves being part of the Hana Hime Den (Her name there is Mikan no Kimi). She admires Shiki san, and everyone's bravery. But most of all, she loves Youichi. Her heart beats so much that she couldn't stop it.

She admire him for his kind heart and personality, while other girls just stuck themselves to him because of his baby-like looks: cute round face, curled gray hair (not like old hair), and baby emerald eyes.

Youichi clasped his hands and thought of how his family hated him for being a dangerous alice. He was looked down upon a lot of students, minus all of the annoying fan girls that tried to stick to him like glue. He only had his eyes set on Mikan.

Bright, big, auburn eyes. Dons no makeup at all, un-like most elementary girls do to get his attention.

Straight hair, almost as beautiful as her blunt and honest personality. Cute heart-shape face, and a beautiful smile that dons her face for only Hotaru and him. No one else.

Bright light glowed from their hands and students gasped, and crowded around Mikan and Youichi to see their work of art. After a few minutes of deep concentration, the pair opened their eyes and were satisfied to see a good alice stone in their hands.

"Ah, wow! They created really pretty stones!" someone shouted out.

Girls eyed Youichi with fire in their eyes of desire, and boys were checking Mikan out.

Mikan rolled her eyes and Youichi glared at the girls to back them up.

_I wonder if he will accept it, _Mikan clawed her stone.

_I hope with all my heart she will accept me, _Youichi thought as he clawed his in his hand.

"All right! Tomorrow, we will be switching our stones in the game tomorrow!" Narumi sensei clapped his hands excitedly, completely oblivious to the fact that students weren't paying attention to him.

Mikan sighed and looked at Youichi, "Thanks. I hope I make it out alive tomorrow, you know?"

Youichi chuckled at that. He knew what Mikan meant. Girls were eyeing him hungrily and his fists clenched at the thought of guys checking out his girl. Worse, he was even more ticked off that Hyuuga was staring Mikan up and down. Mikan caught onto the jealousy war and said, "Don't worry. I am sure he will be forced to trade with Shouda."

Youichi relaxed visibly and nodded.

Mikan smiled, and surprisingly, school was let out early. No ability classes. It was announced by Jin-Jin sensei and his creepy chameleon that curls up on his shoulder that the whole day tomorrow will be handing out sweets and exchanging Alice Stones.

Mikan shivered. Girls her age are clogging up the kitchen making sweets with side-effects. Those side effects come from their alices, and that is just crazy.

_I don't want to force my love on Youichi. I want him to naturally fall in love with him. I like him so much I am willing to wait, _Mikan smiled at this.

"Yo, strawberry print," an annoying voice called out.

"What is it, Hyuuga?" Mikan called out in her annoyed voice. Oh, she was beyond annoyed. She could snap him in half.

"I saw your stone," he smirked next to her.

"Gee thanks," Mikan glared at him, "But the size of it and the color is none of your beeswax."

Natsume was greatly surprised by the cold, indifferent tone Mikan addressed with him, but he just shrugged and said, "Oh not today it isn't. But tomorrow it will be."

"I don't think so," Mikan glared at him.

"What did you just say to me?" Natsume glared at her.

"I hope you don't take this all to your head," Mikan scoffed and shook her head, "You don't even know why we are paired up."

Natsume felt as if someone punched his ego, and he said, "Excuse me?"

"Who I love, yeah, it will be revealed tomorrow. You will know what my stone looks like, but I will give you a fifty-fifty heads up. You have a very slim chance of getting it," Mikan turned her back to Natsume.

Natsume was speechless. And when he was, Mikan turned around and continued.

"I hope you know that I am not your possession. I am not your doll to play with, and I am certainly not your slave. I am another student here, and who I love is for me to decide, not you. So whoever I choose tomorrow, you will just have to deal with it," Mikan looked at Natsume one more time before turning her back to him and started walking towards Central Town. She had initially planned to get howalons for herself, a small box, but Natsume came along and ruined her mood.

Hotaru had been hitting Sumire with baka gun bullets and was scribbling something down on a notepad. Mikan raised an eyebrow and said, "Hota-chan, what's that?"

"A bill," Hotaru sighed and slipped it in her pocket.

"Why?"

"That dense Shouda brat cost me 33 premium rubber coated steel bullets. Now I have to get materials to equip myself. I am going to bill her and she can't say anything about it," Hotaru shrugged.

Mikan nodded. Just leave it there and don't argue with Hotaru Imai.

"Anyways, Mikan, what's up?" Hotaru smiled at Mikan, the only person she calls by first name.

"Hyuuga is pressuring me again," Mikan sighed.

"He wants to trade alice stones with you? I think sensei made the wrong choice," said Hotaru, annoyed. She glanced Mikan and said, "If he gets on your nerves, then ask me. I know just the thing to do…"

"You mean, use the baka gun on him? And then you will bill him for wasting 100 premium rubber coated steel bullets?" Mikan raised an eyebrow.

"No, even worse than that. I hate manufacturing bullets but there are too many idiots in the world," Hotaru sighed.

"Then what WOULD you do?" Mikan asked.

"Oh, just use my Baka Canon 10.0 on him," Hotaru smirked.

"Wouldn't he just waste your huge canon ball that you have to use?" Mikan asked, "Canon balls are very expensive to make, you should know that Hotaru."

"But I will bill him," Hotaru smirked, "ten times the cost, though. He should have enough money, and I am very much sure of that."

Mikan sighed, "Let's try to get through tomorrow."

Hotaru nodded.

oooooo

[The next day]

Mikan suspiciously made her way to the corner of the hallway. She was glad that Hyuuga wasn't hot on her trails like he had threatened he would yesterday. Apparently Sumire left a threat note that if she tries to exchange her stone with Hyuuga, she will kill her.

Mikan didn't care, in fact she wanted to HUG her. She does not want to get near Natsume at all.

It was terrible. Boys were trying to stuff bags and bags down her throat, but due to her nimble personality, she was able to dodge sweets aimed for her mouth. But, to make sure that no one's feelings were hurt, she accepted them, and then stuffed them in a nerd boy's locker that was left wide open for 'Sweets from hot girls'.

_I know I shouldn't do this, _Mikan thought, _but those sweets have magical side effects._

Mikan mentally shivered when she thought of boys using their alices in the sweets. It was nice, but creepy at the most part.

It was like they were trying to buy her love at any costs.

Sighing and shaking her head, she went into the Northern Woods, where she knew all kinds of danger would lurk. But due to her SEC alice, she had gained multiple alices, so she can defend herself. She just needs to conceal herself.

Walking deeper into the woods, she was stopped by a voice, "So you came here, huh?"

Turning around she was surprised that she had reached Mr. Bear's cottage.

"Hey, Youichi," she answered, kind of tired.

Going up to the little tea set laid out, she looked at the moving stuffed animal and had a staring contest with it. When the bear couldn't hold it in any longer, it looked away, but not before quickly nodding it's consent for Mikan to sit down.

Youichi chuckled and said, "So Mr. Bear stopped picking on you."

Mikan shrugged and said, "Guess so. So he stopped avoiding you?"

Youichi shook his head and said, "He still thinks I am three years old. You might not know but I was quite attached to him back then. He still thinks I will hold him close ALL the time."

Mikan laughed, and Youichi closed his eyes in enjoyment. Her laugh sounded like silver bells.

"Boys are getting annoying. It is good I found an open locker to put all the sweets in. Luckily no one had thrown their alice stone at me. I wouldn't know what to do," Mikan wiped her forehead.

"What about," Youichi asked, clenching his fists, "Hyuuga?"

"Hmm?" Mikan asked, "Oh him?"

Youichi nodded.

"Sumire claimed him against his consent. She even took the liberal time to send me a threat note not to get close to him, but I do not care. In fact Hotaru and I are going to go to sensei to switch my partner. Apparently he made the wrong choice of grouping Hyuuga and me together," Mikan chuckled.

Youichi sighed in relief.

"Hey…Mikan?" he asked shyly.

"What?" Mikan gently smiled at him.

"Do you, want to…trade?" he fiddled his fingers. His pocket feels like a ton, and Mikan's skirt pocket feels like someone dumped rocks in there.

Mikan turned slight pink and said, "Yeah, sure."

Mikan didn't know whether she should go first or Youichi should. Breaking the silent pause that came afterwards, she reached into her pocket and said, "Ladies first, I guess."

Youichi turned so red, you wouldn't know what to compare his crimson shade with.

Toning down his blush, Mikan said, "Can you hold out your hands?"

Youichi complied, and Mikan put her closed fist in his hands. Silently, she dropped her stone in his hands and Youichi felt his hands go numb. The stone was warm.

Opening his hands he whispered in awe, "Mandarin orange. It's so pretty. Just like you."

He put it in his pocket and then froze when he realized what he just said. He looked to see Mikan blushing slightly in compliment. Mikan smiled a rare smile and said, "Thank you."

"My turn," Youichi said.

Mikan held out her hands, and he put his fisted palm in hers. When she opened her hands, she saw a beautiful emerald green alice stone shining in her hands. She whispered, "It matches your eyes-"

She was going to finish her sentence when a pair of warm lips met hers. It was short and sweet, and simple, but it conveyed how much they loved each other. (A/N: No it is NOT a French Kiss. As much as some pervy readers out there might be banging their fists on the counter yelling, "Why is there no tounge?!")

[In the bushes…]

A camera was clicking non-stop of pictures of the scene.

Hotaru Imai, with her boyfriend Ruka Nogi in a branch across from her. They exchanged alice stones, yet Ruka hated to interrupt Mikan's privacy.

"You know we shouldn't be doing this. It is an invasion of privacy!" Ruka harshly whispered.

"Be quiet, bunny boy. Hyuuga still thinks he has a chance with her, and this will prove to him to back off from my sister," Hotaru chided him.

"And HOW do you see this as a two way deal?" Ruka raised an eyebrow.

"I am getting a lot of rabbits, and when these pictures get published in the afternoon paper along with the article I am going to email in a few minutes, it is going to tell Hyuuga to back off from Mikan. My Mikan," Hotaru added possessively, even though Mikan was just a sister to her.

Ruka sighed and said, "It is still an invasion of privacy."

Hotaru shrugged, and said, "Whatever. Gonna email it now."

With a few clicks, bips, and typing, both the article and pictures of the exchange stone scene and kissing scene got emailed to the Newspaper Staff Room.

And Mikan didn't know how they were going to be the cover of the afternoon paper.

oooooo

Mikan and Youichi were sitting in the class room as everyone were reading something disturbing. Anna and Nonoko came up to Mikan saying, "Mikan-chan! You and Yo-chan are on the cover page!"

It was true.

In bold letters were the words:

_**Mikan Sakura and Youichi Hijiri: Officially are now engaged.**_

Below that picture were a huge picture of them kissing and then a picture of Youichi holding Mikan's stone, and vice versa.

Mikan was now flustered because the temperature rose 30 degrees farenheit. Hyuuga.

"What did you do to my Mikan?" he was now pissed.

"What do you mean yours?" Youichi said, clearly amused. He was secretly thanking Hotaru for doing this even though she was getting back at him for stealing her Gulliver Candy.

"You forced her in an engagement!" Natsume was now hurling fireballs at Youichi.

"Cut it out," Mikan said and to protect the both of them, she cast a nullification barrier, and glared at Natsume.

"Wait, he forced you to do this! Why are you protecting him?" Natsume was losing it now.

"I am going to sensei to change partners. He paired us up for your own good, but seeing that you won't change, Hyuuga. You only see materialistic desires, since I am Yuka's daughter," Mikan glared, "But I am my own person. I am tired of being the daughter of a legend."

With that she slung her bag over her shoulder, and Youichi followed her.

Hotaru smirked. This was Mikan's happy ending.

Mikan walked down the hallway and looked at her fiancé. Smiling she said, "What kind of children do you think we will have?"

Youichi smiled and said, "A boy and a girl."

Mikan smiled, "A boy with gray hair and auburn eyes and baby features with a nonchalant expression like me. A girl with auburn hair and bangs and emerald eyes and child like in manner like you?"

Youichi nodded and smiled, "I would like that, you know."

Mikan sadly smiled and said, "Too bad mom didn't get that."

"Yuka never to have you and her and your father together, but I think she was happy to have you as her daughter, Mikan," Youichi smiled, "And I will make it come true."

Mikan smiled, a big one this time.

"Thank you Youichi, thank you."

"You are welcome, my rose."

oooooo

_-fin-_


End file.
